Paul headed into the walk-in refrigerator to take a look at what they had on hand for the evening and what to do for a special. Sometimes specials were a limited supply of seafood that just came in or a creative way to move an item they had extra of.
Emma hung up her coat and joined Mandy, Billy and Jill at the front desk. They were about to leave for the day, too. Mandy handed her the reservations book. “It was busy today and we took more reservations than usual for tonight. Some people asked about the prix fixe menus when they called. I already let Jared know so he and Paul can make sure they have some good options for tonight.”
“Great, thanks. What are you guys up to tonight?”
“Cory is going to be bringing the kids by soon, and we are going to hunker down and watch some Christmas movies, I think. Maybe get pizza or Chinese takeout. None of us feel like cooking.”
“I don’t blame you. It’s a good night for that. Have fun.”
Emma was initially surprised that they were busy earlier than usual. Connie Boyle wasn’t the only one that came in around four thirty. By a little past five, the dining room was more than half full and most of the people had at least one shopping bag with them. And the early people were almost all walk-ins. She guessed they worked up an appetite walking around and shopping.
When there was a lull in new customers, Emma strolled over to the bar to say hello to Gina. Jared was by the soda gun, filling up a tall glass with ice and coke. Connie looked up when she saw Emma.
“Hello dear. I was just asking Gina how her date with that nice young man went. But she seems suddenly shy to tell us.”
Jared chuckled as Gina looked like she wanted to crawl under the bar. “Yes, Gina, how was your date?” he asked. “We’re all dying to know.”
Emma sensed something in the air but wasn’t quite sure what it was. She felt a little badly for Gina. “It’s really none of our business. Gina doesn’t have to tell us anything.” She grinned. “Though we are curious.”
Gina relaxed and laughed. “It’s not that big of a deal. We had a nice time. We went to Millie’s. I’d suggested it as one of my favorite places.”
“And what did he think?” Jared asked.
“He liked it.”
Jared nodded. “Millie’s is one of my favorites too. Glad you had a good time. I’ll catch up with you all later.”
As soon as Jared was back in the kitchen, Gina sighed. “Well, that was awkward.”
“Why? I’m glad you had a good time,” Emma said.
“She means because of Jared,” Connie said with an impish look.
“Oh?”
“Jared and I are just friends,” Gina said. But Emma noticed a red flush creeping over her cheeks. How interesting.
“I like Jared,” Emma said. She knew Paul thought highly of him and he’d been friendly and polite to Emma, though a little quiet, so she really didn’t feel like she knew him well.
“That’s what I told her too,” Connie said. “It’s good for them to know about each other. Keeps them on their toes.”
“Oh, how sad,” Gina said. The television above the bar was on and was showing a small Nantucket family, a mother and two young children that had to be evacuated to a local hotel when the pipes unexpectedly burst in their rental house and flooded the entire downstairs. Her husband was in the army and not expected home for months and there was extensive water damage.
“Saddest of all, this young mother had done her Christmas shopping early and had everything wrapped and ready for the holiday, safely stored in the basement and now it’s all floating in several inches of water. She can’t afford to replace everything. Please be aware of the dangers of frozen pipes this time of year.”
“How awful.” Emma’s heart went out to the poor mother, who looked completely frazzled and disheartened. “I wonder if there’s a fund set up to help.”
Just as she was asking, a number flashed across the screen and the announcer said, “You can also check our website for details on how to donate.”
“Something like that happened to me years ago, when I was newly widowed. It was a very difficult time, but people are good and an angel helped. I’m sure the same will happen for that young lady,” Connie said.
“I hope so,” Emma said and made a mental note to look up the information on the website when she got home and send a donation in.
Later that night, as they were getting ready to close, Emma walked to the bar to get Gina’s sales total for the night. Gina was wiping down the counter and Jared was leaning on it and Emma overheard him as she approached.